the truth as I see it
To be blunt, I hate leagues. My experience, the players are noisy, inconsiderate of nearby players, all light three cigarettes at once so they can grab a puff wherever they are at,(this may only seem to be true) generally not the kind of people I enjoy being around.
Being retired I go to the pool hall early. It is quiet, a handful or so of regulars are there, a few quiet hello's are exchanged, and I settle down to practice or play.
I hate to admit it but the pool hall makes more off of the league players in one evening than they make off of the daytime regulars, including me, in a week. The difference between a lot of places keeping their doors open and closing is a healthy league scene. Those people drink, often to excess, buy food, buy smokes. Smokes alone are probably a huge profit center. If they come in with one pack they might need two more before going out the door!
These same people are big on the "just one thing away from greatness" theory. They buy cue sticks, chalk, gloves, every pool gadget known to man, plus a table now and then. The leagues in general and APA in particular are keeping pool alive.
Sad but true, those loud, stinky, obnoxious league players and home players are pool today. The hardcore life revolves around a pool table guys and gals are the fringes. Pool can't survive on the fringes alone. Next time you are ran out of the pool hall by the league crowd thank goodness they are there. Without them, you wouldn't be there either!
Hu
PS: Yeah, I am sure there are league players somewhere in a town, city, or galaxy far far away that don't fit my description of league players, this is just my viewpoint from the ones I have seen!